Talabani sends Gul condolences over Istanbul terrorist attacks

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani telephoned President Abdullah Gul yesterday to offer his condolences over Sunday's terrorist attacks in Istanbul's Gungoren district, said the president's press office. Talabani condemned the terrorist attacks and also spoke with Gul about a suicide bombing attack this week at a protest rally in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk which killed 23. In the aftermath of that attack, Kurdish protestors attacked an Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) office, and clashes broke out between protestors and guards protecting the office. Talabani then told Gul that peace was later restored in the city. He also condemned the attack on the ITF office and said that all ethnic groups in Kirkuk should learn to live together in peace. Gul thanked Talabani and expressed his condolences for the loss of life in the suicide attack in Kirkuk. The president said the attack had been meant to stir up ethnic violence and underscored the importance of working against such a trend.